The Future Bides Its Time
by Kohari
Summary: Sequel to The Past Shall Haunt You. Kai can't decide whether or not to tell Hilary he likes her...And the Majestics aren't making life any easier for him or Hilary. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

_The Future Bides Its Time_

**Chapter 1**

Hilary reclined in her airplane seat, knees pressed against the seat in front of her. Kai sat beside her, as still as a statue, arms crossed over his chest, staring out the window. He hadn't spoken a word since take-off.

She glanced across the aisle at Tyson, whose head was leaning over the side of the headrest, a little in the aisle. Drool dripped from his lips as he snored. Hilary shook her head. Tyson was so pathetic. But he was loveable, even if he was rather annoying.

Kenny sat on his other side, looking through his lenses at the computer screen. The pilot had told him when he could turn it on. He typed some data into Dizzi, constantly looking at a sheet of paper on a clipboard, probably transferring the information it held into a computer soft copy.

Ray and Max sat behind Tyson and Kenny, respectively. Max, too, had taken a trip to Sleepyland, enjoying a nice, peaceful slumber. Everyone had agreed to let the two sleep (Tyson and Max). After all, when they landed in Japan, it'd be back to training. Best to let them get some rest first and save their energy.

Ray sighed softly. It was so quiet on the plane without the background noise of the American and the World Champion. He opened the table from the back of Tyson's seat and began to play a game of cards on it, one Hilary had yet to discover.

She returned her eyes to the seat in front of her. It was so boring.

After another half an hour, Ray's head lay on his arms, folded on top of the table, cards scattered everywhere. Kenny's fingers were frozen on the keyboard and his head drooped. His glasses dangled from one ear, threatening to fall into his waiting lap. Even Kai had his eyes closed, but it was always hard to tell when he was sleeping.

She felt so...alone.

She sighed. It had been a while since she had had some time to herself. She wasn't sure she liked it.

Her thoughts shifted to Tyson and Kai, just like they always seemed to do. How could she possibly choose a favorite? They were both so awesome in their own special ways.

Tyson, the reckless believer, who was always willing to rise up to a challenge, no matter how high the odds were stacked against him. That attitude had gotten them a lot of wins in the past. He was one of those cocky, overconfident people that you knew would back you up.

Then there was Kai, the responsible, sensible protector, who looked over them in every situation, never really giving them a straight answer, but usually let them figure things out on their own. The silent guardian who you could mostly count on, unless there was a very good reason.

She looked at them both, taking in their for-once peaceful state. They were both equal on the hot scale (They both looked good), but they were like complete opposites. Maybe that's why, even though they would never admit it, they were pretty close. Sure they didn't get along, but their arguments only proved that they were buddies. Kind of like she had always been with Tyson.

She had always admired that about them. She had always admired them. They were...it was hard to explain. They had that quality about them that you knew that they were the best. She had always wanted to be like that. So confident. A winner. But she wasn't. (Yuh-huh! You beat Justin!)

Tyson had that aura about him that attracted others to him. He was outgoing, never quit, and was fun to be around. The thing she admired most about Kai was that he could control his emotions. She, on the other hand, was emotional. He never showed weakness, an act that she was constantly doing. He never let the world get to him, and she always accepted the criticism over the praise as true.

She shook her head. She was so pathetic. Wishing she could be like them when she knew very well she'd never be on the same level as them. At least she had never had to choose between them. She didn't know what she'd do if that ever happened.

But she was grateful for what she had now. She valued their friendship, and asked for nothing more. She didn't really want it. Many a night had she lain in bed and thanked the Lord for having sent them. She'd never have turned out like she had if not for them. They had taught her quite a lot, and she had learned to love herself, to support and trust others, to understand the game of beyblading...

It was true. She never regretted that she had gotten involved in their team. Never once did she ever think that it would've been better had she just let Tyson alone or get on his case. She thought of this team...as a sort of second family.

What would she do if she ever lost them?

Trials had nearly broken them apart, and fights and petty arguments had proved powerful enough to divide them up, but they had gotten through it. That in itself proved that they all belonged together, needed each other. They were a family, and they'd stuck together through thick and thin, especially when things looked grim. As a team, they could do anything. They all actually believed that.

It was something she never thought she'd be able to believe again. That through trust and friendship, you could accomplish your wildest dreams.

Kai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He had always silently watched over her, from the shadows, just as he had for the rest of them. She was one of them.

"Hilary?" he said softly, barely audible, and she jumped in surprise. She had thought he was asleep.

"Yeah?"

"When we land, I think it's best we had a little talk." He still hadn't looked her in the eyes, and he was still facing the window.

"Um...okay," she answered, a little confused. "About what?"

"Don't worry about it." He closed his eyes, leaving Hilary to take the hint that it wasn't to be talked about now.

"Right," she whispered, not quite understanding. Was there anyone that had figured out the enigma that was Kai?

But then again, the mystery was what made Kai so appealing.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Future Bides Its Time_

**Chapter 2**

Hilary brushed the hair out of her face as she got off the plane, dragging a roller suitcase behind her. She had to be careful walking down the steps, because the wind was strong today. The _clunk_s of her suitcase bumping down the steps was annoying. Tyson, loaded down with all kinds of stuff, was having a harder time than she was.

When she was on level pavement, she turned around, noticing that Kai didn't have nearly as much stuff as everyone else. She cocked her head to one side, a little confused, but then she shook her head and went on into the airport with the others. Kai's hair was being tossed around charmingly in the breeze behind her.

They decided to go ahead and eat. Tyson, of course, ordered the most out of all of them, multiple plates full of various dishes (as in food, not plates), munching on them all alternately. At first, the sight of Tyson eating had made Hilary sick, but she was used to it now. Even if it was still kind of disgusting the way he stuffed his face.

Kai kept his eyes on his own space, with occasional glances at Hilary. Many times, he had debated telling her his secret: that she had him in the palm of her hand. She really didn't know all that much about him, either.

If he were honest about it, he would admit that he kind of envied her. She was smart academically, but most of his wisdom was in the ways of beybattle (Hey, Kai, you're smart, too, man.). She was attractive (Talk about under-estimating yourself), sweet...when she wanted to be, honest, helpful...and most of all, she had always believed in them, no matter what.

He had always been taught to completely ignore his emotions, keep them hidden so no enemy could exploit them. He had been trained as a warrior. Unfortunately, there was one feeling they hadn't taken into account, and he was feeling it now...with her. Should he tell her? She would want to know, but would that knock him down a peg? Would that make him weaker for actually acknowledging what he had been educated to deny?

They finished, and they borrowed some carts for Max and Tyson to put their stuff on. A voice came over the intercom (just like in season 1!), "Would the boys with the BladeBreakers' team please stop racing buggies? Thank you."

"Aww..." But they stopped.

The limousine was late. Tyson tried to climb a flagpole to see if he could see it, but kept falling down. Then, he and Max tried to stand on each others' shoulders, which didn't help much. That, and they kept losing their balance. So they dropped that plan. A few cheerleaders who had been watching giggled at the performance and whispered amongst themselves.

Kai sighed at their pathetic attempts at spotting the limo and sat down on the curb. The others stared for a second, but then turned back to looking for their ride. Ray sat on the concrete planter near the sliding door entrance (You know, that like 6 foot high thing that they grow plants in by the steps?...). Hilary sat down beside Kai, who looked like he was meditating. They were sort of alone now...well, alone enough that they could talk about whatever Kai had wanted to discuss.

"Um," Hilary started, and Kai turned his gaze to her. "You, uh, wanted to talk to me about something?"

For a moment, he was silent, then decided against telling her like he had originally planned. "Never mind. Forget about it," he told her, standing up as the car pulled up.

He was silent the whole ride. Hilary stared at him more than a few times (he didn't see this), trying to figure him out. Was there something wrong with him? Something he didn't want the others to know? It still kind of puzzled her that there was something he had wanted to let her know, but not the others. What could it have been? (Such a ditz, Hil.). She tried to put it out of her mind. He obviously changed his mind about telling her, so no need to dwell on it, right?

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if there was some problem...

They got off at Tyson's dojo, where they were going to stay for the night. The boys set up their sleeping bags in the training hall, and Hilary took the guest bedroom. When they came down for supper, Kai was absent. After prodding at the others, she found out that he was outside, practicing.

She excused herself from the table and went to check on him. Sure enough, he was at the beydish they used for training, Dranzer spinning in the center. It returned to his hand as he sensed her presence.

"Um...I guess...I'm kind of...interrupting, aren't I?" she asked, a little nervous. When he was practicing, he had a look to his eyes that made you wish you were far, far away. "I'm going...back inside. See ya!" She did so, and after a little while of staring after her, he shook it off, and went back to his previous activities.

"I'm going for a walk!" Hilary called out, opening the door and going out. Good-byes echoed after her, as well as Grandpa's curfew, as she walked off.

Darkness blanketed the sky, stars littered all over it. She sighed. Night was her favorite time. It was so peaceful. The thing that worried her were the perverts creeping along undercover of the shadows.

She encountered Kai leaning with his back against the bridge's rails, staring into oblivion. "Hey, Kai!" She waved at him, relieved. As much as she liked walking alone, she was a little paranoid of the aforementioned perverts. He gave no reply.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," Hilary went on. She convinced him to stroll with her. When they were tired, they went back 'home'. But just outside the gates, Hilary stopped him.

"Ya know...if there's anything you, well, wanna talk about...You know I'm here for you. I'll listen," Hilary told him, making him feel a little guilty, but he didn't show it. "I...guess that's it."

She went inside, leaving Kai to follow her, and she joined in a game of Slap Jack.


	3. Chapter 3

_The Future Bides Its Time_

**Chapter 3**

Christmas came around. Still, Kai had been silent about his feelings. Snow blanketed the town, and Max and Ray were all packed to go see their families overseas for the holidays. Kenny's parents were tagging along with Mr. Dickenson (Grandpa was invited, along with the other parents) to Australia for vacation, leaving Kenny at Tyson's. After much begging, Tyson had finally convinced Hilary to stick around ("Who'll make sure I study?"), as well as Kai ("You trust me and Kenny ALONE with Hilary?").

They arrived with their luggage two days before Christmas Eve, snow cascading all around them as Tyson greeted them at the door. "Kai! Hil! Ken! Come on in!" They stepped into the dojo (No more sword training!) and began to unpack. Being a girl, Hilary got the newly added guest bedroom, and all the guys were going to sleep on the dojo floor. Three sleeping bags (Yeah, Tyson's staying in there, too. Party!) lay scattered around the training hall, a laptop (Dizzi) sitting in the little area around Kenny's.

Tyson rambled on, "Man, are we gonna have some fun! Oh, yeah! We are gonna PARTY!" His head was chock-full of ideas to ward away boredom. The others sighed. This was going to be a long vacation.

-An Hour and a Half Later…-

"Man, am I bored!" Tyson hollered, sprawled out on the dojo floor, comics surrounding him on every side like water around an island. Some even lay, almost falling, on his stomach.

They all sighed again. He had ignored Hilary's hints at studying, not to mention Kai's at training ("It's Christmas!"). Kenny had tried, too, but now, he stayed out of it, typing on his computer. Tyson could be such a pain, sometimes. (Sometimes?!)

"Then it's a good thing we're here!" came a familiar voice from the doorway (Tyson: The Cat in the Hat! J/K) that had an attractive Italian accent that had lured many beautiful women into the owner's arms. Surprised, Kai, Kenny, Hilary, and Tyson whipped their heads to see who had arrived.

The Majestics, Johnny (Sp?), Robert, Oliver, and Enrique (For those who haven't figured it out, he's the one that had broken the "silence".), stood where they looked, Enrique and Robert holding their bags, and Oliver's and Johnny's were on the ground beside them.

"Salut!" Oliver greeted, with a little wave. They walked in, those who hadn't already picking up their stuff and carrying it inside.

"Yeah, the door was unlocked, so we let ourselves in," Johnny explained.

"Told ya we'd stop by for Christmas!" Enrique said, giving a wink to Hilary.

"So…uh…where do we sleep?" Oliver asked, looking around the room at the sleeping bags. (This is all happening so fast for our BladeBreaker-oops, I mean BBA Revolution (whichever; at this pt I've only seen…what? A few epis? Up to the episode after "Fire and Water".) buddies.)

"Must we sleep on the floor?" Robert inquired, distaste in his tone.

"Uh, yeah. Pick a spot," Tyson managed to answer, on his feet by now.

"Cool! It'll be like camping out!" Enrique exclaimed.

"I hope there's room for all of us," Oliver commented under his breath.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Kenny said, and everyone turned to look at him. "You guys are staying here?!"

"Uh, yeah," Enrique told him, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But, but -."

"Problem?"

"No."

"A-ight, then."

Tyson led them on a tour of the house, with the exception of Enrique, who, being lenient about organization, was quickly done. There were only three of them left in the dojo. Kai leaned against the window, looking out at the snow, diagonally across the room from Hilary.

Enrique craftily and charmingly stole his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and trapping her in the corner, a stunned look on her face. Knowing that Kai usually stayed out of such affairs, he began to whisper in her ear, lips centimeters from it. (That's sad. Hitting on her the minute he gets there.)

"Hey. It's just you and me, babe. What'dya say we have some fun?"

Kai watched out of the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to go and punch Enrique's lights out. Judging from the expression Hilary had at the moment, she wasn't really enjoying the attention. But she wasn't his girlfriend, and it wasn't his place to defend her. Maybe if things got too…dirty…he'd jump in and lend a hand, but he stayed out of it. Not being able to protect her was torturing him.

"Uh, no thanks," she responded, trying to give him a sweet smile. Gently she pushed him away. But he was persistent.

"Aw, come on. It's Christmas!"

"No!"

Before he could protest, however…

"You heard her, Enrique. Paws off," came Kai's quiet voice from across the room. He wasn't even looking at them, and hestill held that 'I don't care' attitude.

"Look, pal," Enrique started. He saw her first! Well, made his move first. They were interrupted again by the sound of the others' voices from the hall, returning to the dojo. Quickly, he moved away without another word. The door opened, and the rest stepped inside.

"I hope they didn't do anything…improper to you while we were out," Oliver commented as he came in, talking to Hilary. Was it just her, or did he and the blond Italian love to smile?

"Oh, no, not at all," lied Hilary effectively. "Completely uneventful."

"Good," Robert grunted, unpacking his stuff. "Now if you'll hurry up and stop flirting, Oliver, we can go see what entertainment we can find in this uncouth city." (Japanese audience members raise their pitchforks.)

$$$(Puffy AmiYumi: WHAT???!!!! –ready to whack him with their instruments-) ?Isn't Ami from Tokyo and Yumi from Okanawa or the other way around or something?$$$

"I wasn't flirting, Robert!" objected our emerald-locked Frenchman.

"Whatever. Let's just go," interjected Johnny. "You guys coming, or what?" he asked the BBA Rev and Kai.

Hilary, for some reason, found herself glancing at Kai before answering, "Sure!"

"Hn." That's his way of saying okay.

"Duh!" (Tyson)

"Um…why not?" (Kenny)

The Majestics walked out first, having already had their outside gear on. Hilary, Kai, Kenny, and Tyson slipped on their warm-weather clothes and joined them. Just as Tyson placed his foot on the 'Welcome' mat his face met with the cold wetness of a snowball.

"Good shot, Johnny!" Robert complimented, being the sophisticated (Tyson: How do you pronounce that? –gets hit with another snowball by authoress- Sor-RY!) person he was, emphasized shot. (That's just the way he says that kind of thing. He's a rich dude, what'dya expect?)

"Wasn't it?" the red-head smirked back.

"I'd have to agree," Oliver joined in.

Hilary couldn't help but giggle, and Kai couldn't hold back a tiny smile of his own.

"Shut up!" Tyson shouted. He rolled a snowball to counterattack. "I'll get you back, you rich freak!" He tossed the icy sphere at the target. It hit the tree a foot away from Johnny.

"What was that?!" Enrique taunted, and everyone burst into laughter.

"Shut up!" Tyson repeated.

They got going. On the way (they were walking), Hilary, being behind Tyson, grabbed some snow from the sidewalk that hadn't been stepped on, threw a snowball of her own at the idiot. It hit him square in the back.

"Hey! Who-?!" he turned around and demanded. He had been leading the way, along with Robert and Johnny. Hilary began to whistle innocently. Oliver, Kai, and Enrique slipped past him when he stopped to yell at her. "What's the big ide-!"

He didn't finish his sentence. Another snowball hit him in the back of the head. Tyson whirled around, only to get hit once again by Hilary.

"Hey, no fair!"

The process was repeated, with many counterattacks, turning into a mass snowball fight. By the time they were done, they had ended up in the park and it was dusk. They were out of breath and red in the face with excitement. They headed home.

And that was how they spent their first day…


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Future Bides Its Time**_

Kohari: Ohmigosh! I had no idea how long it had been since I updated. (insert gasp). I really am sorry. So here's the update. I really apologize...I don't think it'll happen again.

* * *

"Would you please SHUT UP, Tyson!" Robert tried to remain calm as he yelled at Tyson, trying to press the sides of his pillow(s) to block out the noise. It was 2:00 in the morning, and Tyson was talking in his sleep (his snoring was at least somewhat bearable). 

"Mmm...donut...(slurp, hugging pillow)...where've you been all my...(drool)...marshmallow...Yum...Mmmm...marry me...OW!" He was brought back to reality by the contact of his head with a small, frilly, bright pink pillow with lime green stitching. "Hilary!"

"It wasn't me!" she protested as he threw it at her. "It's not even mine! It's Oliver's!" She tossed it back to its rightful owner.

"What was that for?" Tyson demanded.

"Well, duh," Johnny answered for him. "You were talking in your sleep, moron."

"Honestly, Tyson, do you ever dream of anything normal?" Robert wondered aloud. "From the sounds of it, your dreams are rather - oh, what's the word...?"

"Un-," Enrique tried to finish Robert's signature word for him, but was interrupted by Tyson.

"Don't you dare say 'uncouth'!"

"I don't have to. You said it for me," the Italian pointed out. Tyson cursed himself.

"Um..." Hilary tried to interject. The cacophony of Tyson's voice, however, drowned her out.

"Can we please go to sleep now?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, may we?" Robert inquired of Tyson. "Without being woken up by obnoxious ramblings about sweets?" he added.

Tyson mumbled who-knows-what as he pounded his pillow and lay back down. Everyone else followed suit. But it was only a few minutes later that they found themselves once again unable to rest because of Tyson's dreams. This time, apparently, he was talking to a walking gingerbread man.

"TYSON!" They all shouted, in synch.

"Wha-What?" Tyson rose, sleepily.

"You're doing it again," Hilary informed him.

"I swear, Tyson, you are the most disruptive roommate I have ever had the misery to meet," Robert commented. (Not saying much. You never had to have a roommate before...)

"Hey, you wanna take this outside?" Tyson challenged.

"Why? We are in a dojo, Tyson," Robert reminded him, receiving laughs from the others.

"In a dojo," Tyson muttered, angry at the retort, then returned to yelling. "Come on, let's go!" He lifted his beyblade, ready to launch.

"Hey! Keep it down in there!" came Grandpa's muffled voice.

"Fine!" Tyson called back. He turned his attention back to his opponent. "So how 'bout it?"

Robert sighed. "At 2:00 in the morning. Really, Tyson."

Before Tyson could retort, Kai entered the conversation. "Tyson, just shut up, lay down, and go to sleep."

"But - "

"Tyson!" Hilary hollered at him.

"Alright. Alright," Tyson resigned.

The teams finally got to sleep. All except for Hilary. She threw on her jacket and an extra pair of pajama pants as quietly as she could and went outside. It was snowing, and amazingly peaceful.

"Couldn't sleep?" came a voice from behind her. She looked behind her and her eyes met with Kai's.

"Nah, not with Tyson in there," she replied, halfway joking. "I was just thinking about things. About...well, ya know, just stuff."

"About what?" he couldn't resist asking.

"It's none of your business what I think about." The words were out of her mouth before she even knew they had crossed her mind.

Kai said nothing.Hadshe beenthinking about Tyson? He had the urge to take her in his arms, to tell her he loved her, to watch the snow fall together, to just stand there and be with her. But he suppressed the urge.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that."

"You're right. It isn't any of my business."

An awkwardquiet followed. Kai was usually silent, but Hilary sensed something this time. "Kai, are you okay?" His lack of response told her he wasn't."What's wrong?"

"Nothing." His voice pained her. It was so full of...hurt. Was it what she had said? Or was there something else going on that she didn't know about? He went back inside, leaving her hurt and confused.

* * *

Kohari: Sorry this was so short, but that's all I have time for right now. Besides, I have to make sure you're all still loyal reviewers. Remember, this isn't the end. And it wasn't proofread, so any mistakes you see, lemme know. I'll shut up so you can click that cute little rectangular button and tell me how much you missed me and loved my chapter! I promise, I'll never be that late in updating again, so long as you're never late reviewing for me! I value the input of every one of you, so please, recognize your importance in my writing and tell me what you think of my work. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_The Future Bides Its Time_**

Kohari: I know it's been a long time since I updated. Again, all I can say is sorry. A lot's been going lately, so...anyways, here's the update!

* * *

Tyson's sleep-talking wasn't cured permanently. All of them ended up donating a pillow apiece to the mountain of fluff on top of Tyson's head. At least the noise was muffled now, so they could sleep. With the exception of Hilary and Kai, who were locked inside their own thoughts. 

Once during the night, while the sound of boys catching Z's buzzed in the air, Enrique got up and approached Hilary's turned back. "Hey, you awake, Hilary?" he whispered. She didn't answer. "Guess not. I just wanted to apologize for earlier, but...maybe another time, huh?" He went back to his own sleeping bag.

The sun peeked into the dojo the next morning, shining into their faces brightly. Almost simultaneously, the teams heeded the unspoken call and awoke. All except Tyson, luckily. He joined them just after breakfast and was forced to munch on the leftovers.

Things were awkward between Kai and Hilary. Plenty of times, one of them opened their mouth to speak to the other about the past night, but could not find the words to say.

An agreement was reached to go shopping for presents until lunchtime, and then they would rent a few movies to watch until all of them finally fell asleep.

They split up at the mall with the understanding to meet back at the food court at one. All complied, amazingly. After lunch, they rented some movies and returned to Tyson's.

"So, Tyson, how about some popcorn?" Johnny suggested as the first movie began.

"Yeah, Tyson. Can't have a movie without popcorn!" Hilary chimed in.

"I'd like some, too," Kenny admitted.

"What?" Tyson exclaimed. "Why do I have to go make the popcorn?"

"We are your guests, Tyson," Robert reminded him.

"And it's customary for a host to provide refreshments for his guests," Oliver informed him.

Grumbling, Tyson went into the kitchen to make the popcorn. After he had completed the task and plopped down in his spot,they tried to talk himinto drinks as well. Hearing Tyson's complaints over the film, Kai got annoyed and volunteered to wait on them himself. The Italian followed him into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kai." He received no response, so he continued. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole...well, ya know. I didn't mean to upset ya about Hilary."

Kai remained silent, nodding once toshow Enrique that heat least acknowledged the apology. The blonde then added, "I didn't know she was your girlfriend or anything."

Kai turned to him, surprised. "She's not," he told him. "However, that doesn't excuse your behavior."

"Woah.. I apologized, man.You don't gotta get all up-tight about it." Then it dawned on him. "You like her."

Kai refused to comment.

"You do like her."

Again, nothing.

"Just 'cause you never made a move, you don't need to be mad that someone else did," Enrique advised. The next thing he knew, Kai had his collar in his fists and was glaring him down.

"There's a difference between 'making a move' and harassing a lady," Kai pointed out.

"Hands off, Kai," the Italian warned him.

* * *

"What was that?" Tyson asked. "Did you guys hear that?"

The teensheard violent sounds that they were sure were not part of the movie. Then they realized where the noise was coming from. Scared, they ran into the kitchen to witness a fight breaking out between Kai and Enrique. Sodas, water, and tea were spilled in random patterns along the floor, dotted with snacks that had fallen from the counter.

Hilary gasped. "Guys, stop it!" she commanded. She was ignored. Worried, a hand instinctivly flew to her mouth as the boys continued to wrestle on the dirty floor.

"Hey! Who's gonna clean this up?" Tyson shouted angrily.

"Enrique, get a hold of yourself!" Robert demanded of his teammate.

"You're embarassing the name of the Majestics," Johnny piped up.

"Kai!" Kenny tried to calm the Russian.

There were a few moments of pleas that were not heard in the trance of the two boys' rage, but Hilary finally broke through, screaming, "Stop it!"

The two froze, then rose and brushed themselves off, glaring at one another.

Kai took a broom and began to clean up the mess he and Enrique had created. The rest went back to the movie. Hilary stayed behind a moment, staring at Kai, wondering what could drive him over the edge like that. What were they fighting over, anyway? Finally, she joined the other boys.

Everything returned to a semi-normal.

* * *

Kohari: Hey, I must be slackin'. Did anyone notice the _serious_ error that I made in chapter four? Guess not. Well, lemme know if you find it and/or any mistakes in this one. Once again, sorry for the wait, and review for me, please! 


	6. Chapter 6

**The Future Bides Its Time**

Kohari: Yeah, I know how long it's been, and I'm sure you guys are mad at me. All I can say is sorry for this late update, and sorry that it's probably way shorter than you were hoping for.

* * *

It seemed interesting to Hilary that Kai spent the whole movie collection cleaning the kitchen. She understood that they had made a big mess, but she didn't see how it took hours to get rid of it. 

She couldn't concentrate on the movies. Her mind would focus on nothing other than the fight. What pushed the two over the edge like that? She had never noticed any animosity between them before...except when Enrique tried to make a pass at her...But that couldn't be it. After the whole thing was over, they had all acted as though it never happened. And Enrique had apologized. What was the big deal?

Maybe she was reading too much into this. Maybe one of them had just aggravated the other over something trivial. The same thing happened with Tyson and Robert all the time. Their personalities clashed all the time, but they were always game for a beybattle, no matter what mood they were in.

Hilary looked around. All the boys had fallen asleep. Max and Kenny had been the first to crash. Now, at 2 o'clock in the morning, the rest were off in Sandland, probably envisioning being the World Champion Beyblader, holding the trophy high above their heads for all the screaming fans to gaze upon. Except Tyson. He was probably dreaming of doughnuts and 12-course meals piled high to the ceiling with all different kinds of foods.

She got up and rewinded the movie. All the could hear apart from the VCR's whir was the sound of a rag being wiped across the kitchen counter. Hilary wandered toward the sound, knowing Kai was the source. When she got there, she just stood there, watching him work, silent as a cat stalking its prey.

It didn't take long for him to notice her presence, though. He halted and turned to her. "Movie over?"

"Several of them have BEEN over, Kai," she informed him.

"Oh," he said simply, then resumed washing the counter.

"The kitchen looks great," Hilary complimented, looking around. It was true - the kitchen looked better than she could remember seeing it before.

"Thanks."

"You...wanna step outside for a minute?" Hilary managed to ask. "Just to...talk."

Kai was quiet for a long moment. "Sure," he replied in a monotone.

They walked outside, Hilary grasping her coat close. "So...is there something you wanna talk about?"

"Not really," Kai lied.

"Well, can you tell me what was up with you and Enrique?" Hilary pressed.

"We just kinda got in each other's space," Kai said.

"What do you mean?"

Kai sighed. "You wouldn't really understand."

"Try me," she challenged him.

For a while, she thought he wouldn't take the offer. He wouldn't speak. "He was trying to lecture me on something that wasn't any of his business."

"Kai!" Hilary began to get frustrated with him. "Just tell me what's up! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't understand anything."

"That the problem," Kai muttered.

"I thought we were friends," Hilary told him, having heard what he said. He could hear the hurt in her voice.

Kai didn't know how to answer that one. She took his lack of further conversation as confirmation that they weren't, as she had supposed, friends. She looked away from him, feeling like she was about to cry. When she felt she couldn't stand it anymore, she started back inside.

"Hil," Kai called out as she approached the door. Her nickname caught her attention. He rarely, if ever, called her "Hil" like the rest of them. She halted in amazement. "It's BECAUSE we're friends that I can't tell you what's on my mind," he explained.

She frowned, even more confused. What secret was there that couldn't even be shared between friends? It didn't make sense to her. All she could think of to say was "okay."

Kai remained outside after Hilary had gone back in. Tyson came out a little later, yawning and stretching. He yelped as the cold air snipped at him. He had forgotten to put on a jacket. "What's with Hil?" he asked Kai, once he had recovered from the shock of the cold.

"The more you care for someone, the more you seem to hurt them," Kai explained cryptically.

"What?" Tyson was too tired to even pretend to know what Kai meant. Kai didn't respond, so Tyson began thinking about what he had said. "People you care about...Hurt...Hilary was hurt, so...You care about her?" Tyson figured out.

"Yeah," Kai confessed.

"At least you finally admitted it," Tyson laughed.

"Shut up, Tyson," Kai barked.

"Well, if you can tell me, why can't you tell her?" Tyson asked. "About the you liking her thing."

"I can't."

"Why not? It's not that hard."

"For you, maybe."

Silence.

"Well, I'll keep my mouth shut, because you need to be the one to tell her and nobody else," Tyson concluded, being sensible for once. "But you still have to tell her. Or I will, eventually."

Tyson left after that, leaving Kai to his own thoughts.

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NOTE: Not proofread.

Kohari: I'll post another chapter, if I get enough reviews. A lot's been happening since last July, ya know. (Check my profile for more info.) Well, review please!

And again - sorry so short!


	7. Chapter 7

**The Future Bides Its Time**

Kohari: Yeah, I know, my punctuality is lacking. Not cool. But at least I have excuses. Wanna hear 'em? First of all, with English IV AP to deal with, I have almost no time to myself. I mean, I've mastered the art of writing essays while talking on the phone (mostly with my boyfriend - he's so awesome!). Calculus AP barely gives me any trouble at all, so what little time I do have is spent working on my Chemistry Honors assignments. In fact, I'm supposed to be reading an English book right now and writing an essay on Part I, but I'm doing this, so I really hope this is worth it. Anyways, I'm sure y'all don't wanna hear about my stupid little problems, and if ya did, you'd go check out my profile. So - on with the story!

Note: Kai talks about Calculus in this chapter, so you can sorta get a taste of what I work on every day.

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Hilary twirled her pencil between her fingers, pondering deeply. She had completely forgotten about her math homework, and winter vacation was almost halfway over. She wanted to go ahead and get it done. Unfortunately, she was stuck on a problem she couldn't figure out how to solve. She was tempted to go ask Kenny for help, but he was busy checking out Tyson's beyblade to get it ready for another local tournament. Poor Kenny. She didn't understand how the Chief could stand it. He did all the work for Tyson, maintaining Dragoon and keeping it up to snuff, yet he received little to no appreciation for it. And it took up virtually all his time. It was a wonder he was able to balance his grades in school and Tyson's World Champ status simultaneously. 

She sighed. She wished desperately that she could finish these homework problems so she could hang with the guys. She could hear their shouts of laughter as they threw snowballs outside. Apparently, the Majestics had built a fort to protect them against the BladeBreakers' (or whatever they're called, I forget right this moment) barrage of icy spheres. The others had just sort of hidden behind trees and attacked as best as they could. She felt so...alone.

"You should use the equation for the surface area to find what 'y' equals in terms of 'x'," a voice came from behind her. Hilary whipped around, startled. She hadn't even heard him approaching. "That way, you can substitute that equation for 'y' in the volume problem. Set the derivative equal to 0, then solve for 'x' and put 'x' back in the 'y' problem."

Hilary mentally kicked herself for not remembering that process. "Thanks, Kai," she said gratefully and immediately executed his advice. He didn't leave. Curious, she wondered aloud, "Why aren't you outside with the others having fun?"

"I didn't want you to feel alone," he replied honestly.

Hilary smiled. "Thanks," she repeated herself.

They spent the next half hour completing Hilary's assignment. Hilary had had no idea that Kai even knew all this stuff. He was always so quiet in class and avoided participating in activities. That just showed how one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. "You're really smart, Kai," she complimented him.

"Not really."

"Yes really," Hilary protested. "I mean, you're so good at this stuff. We only just learned this, and yet you know it as if you'd done it all your life."

"I have done it all my life," he replied. "The Abbey was really big on this kinda thing. They wanted to shock the world with child prodigies, to prove that not only were they the best in beyblading, but all-around, too."

Hilary was shocked. It was the first time Kai had ever mentioned his past to her. She didn't quite know what to say.

"Anyway," Kai reverted the subject back to mathematics. "In this problem, you're using the volume formula to find 'y' and substituting that equation to find the surface area and its derivative to -."

"Kai," she interrupted him. "Why don't you like talking about your childhood? Did something bad happen to you?"

"I don't like to talk about it," he automatically snapped. Noticing that Hilary was a bit hurt, he added calmly, "It's painful to think about."

"I'm sorry," Hilary offered the standard apology, but Kai said nothing. He only wandered a few feet away from her. Afraid that she had said something wrong, and to ease the awkward atmosphere, she returned to her work. After some minutes of silence, Kai finally left the room. All that remained to keep Hilary company was the sound of her pencil scratching against the paper.

It didn't take long for Tyson to come in. "Hil, are you alright? You wanna come play with us?"

"I have to finish this," Hilary answered, something different about her voice. Tyson, concerned, lifted her chin and forced her to look at him, remarking that she was crying. "I'm fine," she told him.

"Are you sure?" Tyson checked, knowing very well she was lying.

"I'm fine," she repeated in a more stern tone that didn't allow for argument.

"Okay," Tyson accepted. If she wanted to talk to him, she would. He started to go back out to rejoin the boys when he turned around and said, "Ya know, you shouldn't let Kai upset you right now. He's just...got a lot on his mind right now."

Hilary whirled to stare at him in confusion, but Tyson had already departed. Hilary blinked, thoroughly puzzled. How had he known? And what could possibly make Kai so visibly uneasy? She didn't quite comprehend exactly what was going on, but she was determined to find out.

"Hilary," she heard her name called again momentarily. She was getting irritated at the interruptions. She discovered it was Robert. "Is something troubling you?"

"Everything's fine," she replied.

"Please don't lie to me," he begged without compromising his sophisticated, superior attitude. "It's obvious that there is something, or someone, that has upset you."

"It's nothing," she assured him, struggling to continue with her homework.

He observed as she calculated a formula incorrectly. "Ah, math. I have some of the world's best tutors residing with my family in my mansion at home," he commented. When she didn't respond he added, "Perhaps they would be able to assist you if you were to live there as well."

She squinted at him, not sure she understood what he was getting at.

"It was just a suggestion," he admitted, rising. "You don't appear to be very content here. I just thought, possibly, you'd be happier if my family were take you under our wing. You would certainly be much better off; it would be a life in which there would be numerous opportunities available at your whim and never a need to worry about financial matters again." Then, without giving her the chance to speak, he bid her farewell for the time being and went back to the snowball war, leaving her to mull over seriously everything that had just occured.

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Kohari: Yeah, I know, it was a tad bit short, but maybe the content was good enough to make up for it. Aye or nay, either way, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Didja like my rhyme? lol. Anyways, let me know what you thought. I hope to hear from you all soon! 

Note: This chapter has not yet been proofread, so any mistakes that any of you catch, please report to me. Thank you in advance.


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